What's Your Reason?
by eisabelai
Summary: Rules don't apply anymore. Age is irrelevant. And only the strong survive. So how do you manage when you've got nothing left to live for? Well, first you rub some fucking dirt in it, then you pick yourself up and find something worth living for. Daryl/OC
1. Chapter 1

The ever constant groans and moans surrounding me grew louder. I tensed, my already stiff muscles not daring to twitch. I knew I was safe, sheltered, but that didn't stop the fear that over took me. The tank was sturdy and the walkers weren't smart enough to lift the hatch above me. Vaguely I wondered what had the walkers so riled up. I knew it wasn't me; I had been in here far too long. Any walkers that had chased me in here had long forgotten that I existed. There was sudden banging around the tank, on top, under, all around. I could kiss ever getting out of there goodbye. The bottom hatch was opened with a loud creek and the sounds of walkers could be heard clearly. I pulled out my gun and cocked it, ready to shoot anything that came in. As quickly as the hatch was opened, it was closed, and a man threw himself away from the hatch and next to the dead man I had long since put out of his misery.

"Are you bit?" My voice was rough and scratchy.

He turned to me, gun out, finger on the trigger. I lowered my gun slowly, only now realizing that I still had it out. He didn't follow; he kept the gun trained on me.

"I'm not bit. Are you?" I tried again.

"N-no." He whispered.

Static blared through the tank and then a voice was heard.

"Hey you, dumbass in the tank, you there?"

The man shifted to the CB radio instantly. I was frozen, too shocked to move. There were people out there, and if it weren't for this man they never would have known I was here.

The conversation was quick, get out through the top, make a break for the alley, and don't stop. The man turned back to me, a hard look on his face.

'This is it, he's gonna leave me to die.' My thoughts screamed.

"Come on."

Relief washed through me and I picked up my bag, ready to follow him through the crowd of walkers.

"Be quick and don't stop, no matter what."

Without another moment of hesitation he pushed the hatch up and climbed out. I followed, right on his heels. We jumped to the floor and took off running. Every walker around us began to snarl and growl, throwing their arms in our direction, snapping their jaws trying to get a bite. They were damn close to us and I couldn't help the fear the enveloped me.

"Come on! This way!" Someone yelled.

I stayed right behind the man as we reached a ladder and climbed. The walkers surrounded the ladder, trying to get up but not having enough control over their bodies to actually climb.

We reached the top and only then did I stop to take in the appearances of my companions. The man from the tank was tall and lean. His skin was lightly tanned and his face covered in dark brown stubble. His blue eyes were far too haunted for any man. He was dressed in what appeared to be small town cop attire.

The boy that saved us was Asian. Lanky was the first word that came to mind when I looked at him. He was dressed in a dirtied t-shirt and jeans, and a baseball cap adorned his head.

By the looks of it, they were also inspecting each other, and me.

"I'm Glenn." The Asian offered first.

"Rick." The man from the tank stuck his hand out.

Glenn took it and they shook. Eyes glided to me and I cleared my throat, hoping to sound better than I had before.

"Isabela."

They nodded. Glenns eyes wandered back down to the walkers that had not yet forgotten us.

"We should get moving, the others are waiting."

He began walking towards the other side of the roof, Rick following close behind.

Others! That thought alone excited me far more than I thought possible nowadays. I couldn't remember how long it had been since I had had contact with anyone else. For what seemed like forever it was just me and the dead guy inside that cramped, horrible smelling tank.

We jumped to another roof and made our way down into another alley. Two walkers stood around, only beginning to move when we came through. A door opened and two people came out, quickly ending the walkers and ushering us inside.

Two women stood inside, looking quite panicked. The blonde instantly grabbed Rick by the collar, putting a gun to his head.

"This is all your fault! I should just kill you right here!" She yelled at him.

"Andrea! Back off." Glenn tried.

She glared his direction. Her eyes slid over to me and she let go of Rick.

"Who the hell is she?! Glenn, you said the guy in the tank, that was it!" She raged.

My hand slipped behind my back and I grabbed onto my gun, ready pull it out if necessary.

"She was in the tank." Rick spoke up.

The blonde, Andrea, and Glenn turned back to him, a baffled look upon their faces.

"How long were you in there?" Andrea asked, her anger replaced by shock.

I chewed on my bottom lip, looking down at the ground, "Not sure. More than a couple days, judging by the way I had to ration my food."

A hand touched my face and lifted it up. Andrea stared at me, her teal eyes searching mine for any hint of a lie.

"Andrea, she's just a child."

I looked over to the black woman. She was small and thin. Her eyes were wide and glossy.

I frowned, "I'm not a child."

"How old are you?" A man with a slight Spanish accent spoke.

I looked at him; he had a very Spanish looking face. He was tall and while not fat, he was what I would consider pudgy. He had kind eyes, the eyes of a father.

"Nineteen. That doesn't matter though; age is irrelevant in this new world."

A sudden shot rang through the building, effectively ending the conversation.

"There are more people! We have to help them!" Rick cried, looking back at the door we had come though.

"No. That came from the roof." It was the black guy that spoke.

Everyone quickly went to the stairs. As we passed the main floor I stopped, the scene at the doors catching my attention. Walkers were pressed up against the doors, clawing, scratching, and snapping. Blood and dirt was being smeared over. Something flashed in my peripheral vision and I turned quickly, pulling out my gun and flipping the safety off.

The black woman stood there with her hands up and a terrified look in her eyes. I let out a deep breath and put my gun away after flicking the safety back on.

"I'm sorry, you scared me." I explained.

She nodded, "I came back to look for you."

I sighed, rubbing my hands over my face.

"My name's Jacqui." She offered, sticking her hand out, much like Rick had done with Glenn.

"I'm Isabela." I said, shaking her hand.

My attention was back on the walkers that continued to press their bodies into the glass doors. Memories of my previous encounters with the dead ran through my head.

_The moans grew loader as the walkers crowded in close. There was only so much room left between them and our group, and they were closing in far too quickly. I lifted the little girl in my arms over the fence to her brother and began my ascend over the fence we'd been taking so long to clear. My father urged my mother to climb faster, trying his best to help her onto his side of the fence. A high pitched scream invaded my senses and I whirled around, half my body over the fence. A walker had seized my mother's leg and was in the process of devouring it. My father cried out and climbed back over in desperation. My older brother went after him. Taking the wrench in his hands, my father beat in the walkers head, effectively stopping it from further damaging my mother's leg. David, my older brother, swung the bat in his hands at the walkers that approached my parents. _

"_Papi! We have to go!" He yelled over the moans of the living dead._

_My father looked between him and my mother, uncertainty running across his face._

"_Rayito, go. Take care of the kids." My mother spoke softly, tears of fear and pain rolling down her cheeks._

_Another scream rang out and this time I tried to climb back over. Chris, my ex-army friend, grabbed me and pulled me away, preventing me from smashing the brain of the walkers that were now snacking on David. _

"_David! Papi! Help him!" I cried._

_The walkers were dangerously close to my father and mother now. I fought Chris' arms, trying to loosen their grip. _

"_Nena.. Go. Take care of Daniel."_

_Although it was only a whisper, my father's voice was the only thing I heard._

"Isabela..? Isabela!"

Jacqui's voice pulled me from my thoughts and I turned back to her.

"I'm sorry, what were you saying?" My voice wavered and cracked.

"We should get away from the doors, maybe they'll forget about us if they don't see us."

Jacqui grabbed my hand and began to lead me to the back of the store where a flight of stairs were located.

"They won't," I whispered, "They won't leave those doors."

Jacqui's lips pressed into a thin line as she studied me. Her grip on my hand tightens and she starts up the flight of stairs.

Everyone turns their attention to us as we step out onto the roof. Rick, Glenn, Andrea, and the Spanish man are standing by the edge, most likely having a discussion on where to go from here. The black man is sitting across from a white man I hadn't seen before. The black man had a busted lip and obvious swelling on his face.

Jacqui rushed over to his side, dragging me along behind her.

"T-Dog! What the hell happened?" She asked, dropping down beside him to examine him better.

"Merle." Was all he muttered, sending a glare at the man across from him.

I looked over at the man I assumed was Merle. He was seated, leaning his back against a pipe, smirking over at T-Dog. He had rough facial features and buzz cut that made me assume he'd been in the military once upon a time. His eyes were beady and full of amusement. They slid over to me and grin broke out on his thin lips.

"Like wut ya see, 'weet cheeks?" He had very thick southern accent.

I raised my eyebrows and gave him another once over, "No."

Laughter erupted from his throat. I couldn't help thinking that even his laugh sounded southern.

Rick and the rest came over, eyeing Merle wearily.

"We're gonna try to find a way out of here through the sewers. We need someone to stay up here and keep trying to contact the group."

T-Dog opened his mouth to speak, but I beat him to it, "I'll stay."

I was in no rush to be back down there where the walkers could very easily reach me. T-Dog handed me the walkie and I took his place on the ground. The group turned to re-enter the building, Rick shooting one last unsure glance at me. I noticed Merle hadn't moved from where he was seated. I turned to face him, giving him a question glance.

"You're not going?" I asked when he ignored the question written on my face.

His lips turned down, forming a mean looking frown, "Officer fuck-'ead won' unlock th' cuffs."

"Handcuffs?" I asked, slightly confused.

Merle lifted his right arm. It was abruptly halted by the shiny silver handcuffs wrapped around his wrist and the pipe he was leaning against.

"Rick handcuffed you because you beat up T-Dog." I stated, putting the pieces together.

"Well ain' ya a smar' one?" He sneered at me, putting his arm back down.

I frowned at him, "Hey now, no need to be a dick. I haven't wronged you."

Merle grinned again. His attention then shifted to the walkie in my hand, "Ain' ya 'uppose ta be gettin' help?"

I rolled my eyes and pressed the button on the side of the walkie, "Hello? We're trapped in the department store in Atlanta, surrounded by walkers. I repeat, we're stuck in the department store, surrounded by walkers."

We waited for some kind of response, but nothing came. No voice, no static, nothing. I looked back at Merle and sighed, "Happy? I tried."

Merle simply grunted in response. He looked around the roof, trying to find something to help him out of the cuffs. He spotted the red tool box they had brought with them.

"Girly, ge' me tha tool box 'ver there."

I looked over at the box he was pointing at. Surely there'd be something in there to get him free. But Rick cuffed him for a reason and it sure as hell wasn't my place to let him go.

I shook my head at him, "I'm sure they'll let you out before we go. On the off chance they don't, I'll use those to tools to break you out."

Anger contorted his face, "Like hell I gon sit 'ere waitin fer tha shit 'ead cop to let me out! Ya best git me tha box or ya -"

I cut him off, narrowing my eyes in anger, "Or what? You're handcuffed to the fucking roof and I'm armed. There is nothing you can do to me, but I, I can do anything from shoot you to gut you."

The anger drained from Merle's face, but fear did not replace it, instead there was a large grin spread across his face. A moment later he was laughing his deep southern laugh. I frowned and looked down as I searched my pockets for my pack of cigarettes. The one thing I made damn sure that I found when looting places were cigarettes. Just because the world was ending did not mean I had to quit, not til I couldn't find any more packs.

Merle's laughter faded, but the grin stayed in place, "I like ya, kid."

I opened the practically full pack and put one in my mouth then pulled out another and tossed it to Merle. There was no way in hell that man did not smoke. I lit mine and tossed the lighter to him as well. He lit his and then pocketed the lighter.

I pursed my lips and then frowned, but I let it go. I have more lighters.

We sat in silence as we smoked our cigarettes. Sitting there smoking with someone else reminded me of the good old days, before the world decided to go to shit.

"This is something I miss." I muttered.

Merle turned to me, an understanding look on his face.

"Ain' nothin' I miss 'ore than booze an' whores." He stated, smiling suggestively.

I couldn't help the smile that found its way onto my lips or the slight laugh that escaped me.


	2. Chapter 2

Sitting on the rooftop with Merle was probably the most peaceful time in my life since the dead started coming back to life. Being up here just made me forget all the pain and sadness that had enveloped the world and few left in it.

The sudden slam of the roof door startled me out of the silent reverie I had settled into. T-Dog ran towards us, looking frantic and fumbling with something in his hands.

"We have to go!" He yelled.

"The' let me out an' let's git th' hell outta 'ere." Merle stated.

In his haste T-Dog stumbled forward. He threw his arms out to protect his face from hitting the ground and something small was launched out of his grip. The object hit the floor, bounced back up, and descended into a drain, clanging as it hit the sides all the way down. T-Dog stared in horror at the drain, and then looked at Merle, guilt replacing the previous emotion.

"That was the key. I'm so sorry man." He whispered, getting back to his feet.

I looked at Merle whose face was surprisingly blank. Without a second thought I ran to the tool box Merle had pointed out earlier.

"Isabela, we don't have time!" T-Dog yelled,"We have to go now!"

I looked back at him like he was insane, "We can't just leave Merle! That's a fucking death sentence!"

I took the tools out quickly showing them to Merle, most of which he shook his head at. I brought over the hand saw, the wrench, and the pliers. T-Dog ran over to me and pulled on my arm, his brute strength had me dragging behind him as he made his way towards the door.

"T-Dog! Let the fuck go!" I yelled, trying to pry my wrist from his grip.

"You can't stay here! You've given him the tools, now let's go!" He yelled back, pulling harder.

I looked back at Merle who was watching us leave. I pulled the pack of cigarettes out of my pocket and threw them as far as I could.

"I'm sorry!" I yelled.

T-Dog slammed the door shut and raced down the stairs. He stopped abruptly and turned back, letting go of me. I heard the rattling of a chain and the click of a lock. Then T-Dog was back in front of me, pulling me behind him as we continued down the stairs.

We ran past the front doors of the store and stopped for a moment to stare at the scene before us. The walkers had already broken through the first set of doors and were almost through the second. Cracks littered the glass as the walkers pushed and pounded relentlessly. I pushed T-Dog forward and we took off running again. Behind us the sound of glass shattering bounced off the walls of the department store. Moans and groans of the living dead followed us as we made it to the rest of the group.

"They're coming! Now, Morales!" T-Dog yelled.

The Spanish man, whose name I just learned to be Morales, pulled the chain in his hands, lifting the garage door. A van pulled in just as they got the door open and everyone made to jump in. The door behind us opened and the walkers pushed their way through, trying to get at us before we could get away.

Morales was the last one and the walkers were closing in. T-Dog threw his arm out and Morales took it, trying to haul himself in the van as Rick pressed on the gas. I jumped to T-Dogs side, grabbing Morales other arm and pulling with all my might. Morales came barreling in, forcing both T-Dog and I to lose our balance and fall back. My head connected heavily with the floor and I lay there, trying to clear the dark spots that had appeared in my vision.

The dark spots were soon replaced by Morales' worried face.

"Are you alright?" He asked, lifting me into a sitting position.

I rubbed the back of my head and sighed, "Yeah, I'll be fine."

Morales sat beside me and offered me his hand, "Never got to formally introduce myself. I'm Morales. And thank you for saving my life."

I shook his hand and gave him a small smile, "I'm Isabela and it was no problem."

I looked over and noticed Glenn was missing from the van. Although I had hardly even known him for a day, dread filled me at the thought of us having left him behind as well. I mean, how could I not feel bad, he was part of the reason I was out of that tank and still alive.

I turned to Morales, "Where's Glenn?"

Morales instantly threw his arm around my shoulder. I'm sure he heard my voice waver.

"Don't worry, he's fine. He's taking a different car back to camp." Rick explained from behind the wheel.

I looked over to him. He had his eyes on the road, trying his best not to focus too much on all the abandoned cars and wrecks we passed.

We couldn't have been on the road for more than 20 minutes before we can to a stop. Everyone began to shuffle out of the van and towards the people they had left behind. Rick sat at the wheel, his hands covered his face and he breathed deeply. I walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder and he looked over to me.

I gave him a small smile, "I never thanked you for saving my life."

He put his hand on my own, "No thanks are needed. I was only doing what any decent human being would do."

I looked down and shook my head, "Still, if it wasn't for you, I never would have gotten out of there. So, thank you, for being – as Glenn called it – a dumbass."

Rick let out a soft chuckle, "Anytime, Isabela."

It was then that Glenn's voiced called out, "Hey helicopter guy, come say hello!"

Rick stepped out of the van and waited for me to jump out of the back. Together we made our way towards the group of survivors. There were so many faces, all staring us down. I noticed Ricks form tense as his eyes connected with those of a tall, tanned man.

"Shane..." His voice was just barely over a whisper.

Before anyone could say anything a young boy's voice cried out, "Dad!"

The child sprinted towards Rick with tears in his eyes. Rick kneeled and threw his arms around the boy, clinging to him like he would disappear, should his grip loosen. A woman with dark brown hair and striking blue eyes came up to the father and son and joined them on the ground, sobbing softly. I tore my eyes away from the scene, unable to bear the sight of something I could never again have. I settled for looking over the people who watched the reunited family. A face appeared in the crowd and the moment my shit brown eyes met his sea-green orbs I took a harsh breath and bit my lip.

"John…" My voice wavered.

He didn't move, didn't blink, didn't even breathe.

"John!" I cried, lurching forward and pushing past the people in my way.

His arms wrapped around me as I clung to his shirt, tears flowing freely now. I felt him burry his face into my hair, droplets wetting my scalp.

"Oh god.. Bela. You're safe, god, you're alive." He whispered into my hair.

All I could do was nod and continue crying. John. He was part of the group I had been separated from before I got stuck in the tank. I suddenly realized that his face was the only one I'd recognized. I pulled away and stared up into his watery eyes.

"John, is it… is it just you?" I asked, terrified of the answer I might receive.

He shook his head and looked behind him, "Bart! Daniel!"

Two men emerged from a tent a little ways away. The first was Alexander Barturen, he stood about 5'9, muscular, with a buzz cut due to his involvement in the military. He had small brown eyes and a pair of glasses framing them. Everyone referred to him as Bart.

Behind him stood a boy, 16 years of age. He had dark brown hair that brushed just past his shoulders and eyes that matched my own.

They both walked towards John and the rest of the group, who were all watching interested in who knew who.

"Daniel?" I called.

The boy looked up and instantly noticed my form wrapped in Johns arms. Bart turned to me as well. Without a second thought they were both running over to us. I let go of John and was engulfed in a thinner pair of arms, my younger brother's arms. I felt his knees give out and he clung to me and together we fell to the ground.

"They said we lost you. They said…" His voice was raw and full of pain.

Guilt engulfed me as I realized how much pain he must have gone through when they told him I'd been left behind. He buried his head into the crook of my neck, sobbing and shaking violently. His grip tightened as I ran my fingers through his hair and rubbed his back soothingly.

"Shh, it's okay 'Niel, I'm here. I'm here." I comforted him as best as I could.

"John, mind explaining who she is?" A voice asked from behind me.

I looked at the man Rick had recognized when we arrived, Shane. He was watching me and the boy crumpled in my arms.

"She was part of our group. We thought she was… we got overrun on a savaging trip and she was surrounded and then she went down and we thought…" He trailed off.

Shane looked to him and nodded, then looked back to me and stuck his hand out, "Shane Walsh."

"Isabela." I said, shaking his hand briefly before re-tangling it in my brother's locks.

The group began to disperse then, figuring that formal introductions could wait. Rick passed by and offered me a small smile before heading to a tent with his son and wife. At last only John, Bart, Daniel, and I were left.

Bart smiled down at me, "It's good to see, Bela."

I let out a slight laugh, "Yeah, it's damn good to see you too."

Daniel's shaking had finally subsided and he pulled back, wiping all evidence that he had been crying from his face. I leaned forward and kissed his forehead lightly.

His face scrunched up, "Ew, Bel!"

I couldn't help laughing as he stood up and rubbed his head furiously. John extended his hand and pulled me to my feet.

"You should probably come meet the others." John stated.

I grinned, "Since when are you Mr. Social?"

He swatted the back of my head, "Since the fucking world ended and these shit heads were the only ones I had to talk to."

I laughed again, thoroughly enjoying the feeling.

The sun was just about gone as we took a seat with the others in the camp. Everyone nodded to us, some sending small smiles. One smile in particular caught my interest. A blond girl who sat beside Andrea was directing hers straight at John and John was sending on back. And the look in their eyes! I nudged John with my elbow and she looked away, a small blush forming on her cheeks. John frowned at me and I just smiled, trying my best not to laugh.

"So, let's begin the formal introductions, shall we?" An older man spoke up.

I looked over at him, "My name is Isabela, as I'm sure you all heard."

He smiled kindly at me, "Dale, pleased to make your acquaintance."

Beside him was Andrea, "You know me, but this is my sister, Amy."

The blond who I'd caught smiling at John frowned at Andrea, "I am capable of introducing myself, you know."

Laughs rang out around the group as the sisters playfully swatted each others arms. Beside them sat Glenn, and then a thin man with onyx eyes, his gaze was so haunted it frightened me to look at him.

"My name's Jim." Was all he said before he went back to staring into the fire.

Morales and his family sat between Jim and Bart.

"This is my wife, Miranda, my daughter, Eliza, and my son, Louis." He introduced.

Beside Dale were Jacqui and T-Dog who simply smiled at me. Shane was beside them, and beside him sat Rick's family.

Rick's wife spoke up, "I'm Lori and this is my—_our_ son, Carl."

Rick pulled her and Carl closer to him. Shane looked at them and then towards the other camp fire. He stood up and walked over there.

"Ed, you know the rules. We keep the fires low." He stated firmly.

The man, Ed, scowled. He was heavy set man with beady eyes and mean face. His voice was low and gruff.

"It's cold, man."

Shane's eyes narrowed, "Don't matter. Take it out."

Ed grunted, "Go on. Get it out, woman."

A thin, frail looking woman stood up and quickly hurried to the fire, pulling out a log. She cast a glance at Ed and only when he nodded at her did she scurry back to her seat beside a young blond girl who I assumed was her daughter. Shane walked over to them.

"Carol, Sophia. How are you ladies this evening?" He asked.

The woman, Carol, glanced at Ed. He grunted at her and she looked back at Shane.

"We're doin' just fine, Shane. Thank you."

Shane simply nodded and walked back to our fire, taking his previous seat.

"Over there are Ed, his wife, Carol, and their little girl, Sophia." Shane said, looking back at the separated family.

I looked over at them and noticed Carol stealing glances at us. I sent her a small smile which she returned before turning back to her daughter and pulling the blanket tighter around their shoulders.

"So Isabela, why don't you tells us about yourself? Rick said he found you in a tank?" Dale questioned.

I looked over at Rick. He gave me a small smile, which I tried to return. I took a deep breath, trying to figure out where to start. All eyes were on me as I began to fidget with my hair.

"Well, uh, as I'm sure you guys know, we," I motioned at Bart, John, and Daniel, "are from Miami—_Florida_."

They all nodded.

"We were… with a larger group at the beginning," I took Daniel's hand in my own, staring intently at it, "we lost our parents and our older brother not too long after this all began."

John put a hand on my shoulder, "You don't have to talk about this if you don't want to."

Dale looked worriedly at me, "You don't, Isabela."

I smiled at him, "It's alright. I have to talk about it sooner or later."

John just nodded and took my other hand.

"Anyway, we travelled for a long time. Plan was to go North, we hoped that we'd be at an advantage where it's colder, considering those things are dead and would therefore probably freeze. We were just inside Georgia when we decided to set up camp for a few nights so that we could make a supply run. We were pretty low on food and gas. And we had children with us, so we couldn't all go together. During the run, well, we ran into a walker who decided to run into some trash cans and then before we knew it we were surrounded. We made a run for the car, but one of them… it grabbed the bag on my back, slowing me down…"

John gripped my hand tighter. I looked at him and ran my thumb over the back of his hand. He wouldn't meet my eyes.

"I thought I was a goner. Apparently my survival instinct kicked in and I stabbed the walker that was on me through the eye. Its dead weight fell on me and another threw itself down, trying to get a bite. I swung my arm out and got it in the side of the head; he fell limp on me too. I thought for sure that the others would notice me and get me since I could hardly move, but the squealing tires of our car caught their attention and they just passed on by."

Daniel wrapped his arms around me and buried his face into my shoulder.

"After that I was just on the run by myself. Spent a lot of nights up in trees. And then one day I just stumbled into Atlanta, hoping to find a store to get some supplies from. I thought it was just a small town. It was quiet at first and then they came, seemingly out of nowhere and there were so many…the tank was the first thing I spotted so I climbed up, opened the hatch and jumped in."

I looked at Rick again, sending him a silent 'thank you'. He simply shook his head.

"There was a dead guy in there, thought he was actually dead, thought wrong. I had a bit of a struggle with him, but eventually I got him. I don't know how many days I spent in there with that corpse. I wasn't strong enough to lift him out of the tank, nor did I have enough time to try. If I did, I certainly wouldn't have spent it trying to get _him_ out. So I spent my days in there, hardly sleeping, always aware of the walkers running into the tank. And if it wasn't for Rick, I probably never would have gotten out of there."

"Holy shit." Glenn muttered.

Daniel looked over at Rick, still not letting go of me, "Thank you for saving my sister."

Rick smiled at him, "Like I told her, there is no thanks needed. I did what any decent human being would do."

At that T-Dog scoffed. Everyone's attention was now on hm.

"Decent human beings? Is that what we really are?" He glared at the ground.

Lori looked at Rick, What is he talking about?"

Rick's eyes focused on the fire before him and his gaze hardened.

"We left Merle handcuffed to a roof in Atlanta."

"What?" Bart shouted.

Rick looked at him and opened his mouth to answer but T-Dog beat him to it, "He was out of hand, man! He put a goddamn gun to my head!"

"Is he dead?" It was Amy who spoke up.

T-Dog looked at the ground, "I chained the door shut. Those Geeks won't be getting through that."

"Shit," John muttered, "Chris is gonna be pissed."

"Aw fuck, don't forget what a loose cannon Daryl is." Bart added.

I froze at John's words, "Chris…?"

Bart looked over at me and then John, "You didn't tell her Chris made it?"

John furrowed his brows, "I forgot, man. I was too damn busy being happy she was alive."

Bart just shook his head looked back at me, "Chris is here too."

I took a deep breath in, "Is there anyone else? What even happened after I disappeared?"

Everyone was focused on us once again. It was too damn easy to get their attention and they were too damn nosy, but I guess I couldn't blame them, I'd be curious too if I were them.

"About a week or so after you… died, we were attacked by a bunch of them while we were stopped for the night." Daniel muttered, pulling himself closer to me.

"We just barely made it out… the others… we couldn't…" John stammered.

I squeezed his hand. Tears weld up in his eyes and he stood up, harshly pulling his hand away from mine. Before anyone could say anything he stormed off to his tent disappeared from sight.

Bart sighed, "Sarah was in his arms while we were getting away and a hand came out of nowhere and wrenched her right out of his grip… she screamed and drew the attention of others. He would have died trying to get her so I forced him away, she was already bit… there was no saving her…"

Tear welled up in my eyes. Sarah was John and Chris's 5 year old baby sister. She had light brown, almost blond hair and eyes more brilliant than John's. She was a ball of energy and happiness and she was a damn good listener. She survived as long as she had because she learned quickly. She knew to be quiet at all times and she never complained about not getting enough food or about being uncomfortable.

Amy stood up, a few tears escaping her eyes, "I'm going to bed."

Andrea followed her. Morales and his family decided to turn in as well.

"I think I will too. Goodnight." Jacqui stood up and made her way to her tent.

The rest of us stayed to listen to Rick's story. I was so amazed by this guy. He woke up from being in a coma, which he had fallen into after getting shot, and then had to adapt to this new world while he had no clue what was going on. And then, on top of that, he went out to find his family and found them.

We fell into a comfortable silence as everyone let their minds wander. It wasn't til Carl's light snores were heard that anyone made a move to leave the fire. Rick stood, helping Lori up and then gathering Carl into his arms.

"Goodnight."

Daniel stood up and tugged on my hand after that, "You can sleep in my tent, Bel."

I stood as well, "Goodnight, guys."

Daniel was fast asleep as soon as he lay down. I stared at the top of the tent for what seemed like hours. This new world and life style did nothing to help my shitty sleeping problems. No matter how exhausted I was I couldn't fall asleep very easily. It help that there was someone beside me, that always helped, but sleep was just damn stubborn tonight and knew that I wouldn't get much.

So I lay there, listening to the even breathing of the only family member I had left.


End file.
